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The tripod was an important household artefact in ancient times. Let us imagine that a light is placed on a tripod and let us invite three specialists, a scientist, a Christian and a poet to discuss on the topic of “Light” seen from three different angles.

1. The scientist: do you know how fast light travels in a vacuum? Light travels in a vacuum at 299,792 kilometres per second, the fastest speed of all matter in the universe. For us on earth, light travels faster than we can imagine. The length of the circle of the Earth’s equator is about 40,375 kilometres. If the Earth had no atmosphere to block light, then light could travel around the Earth 7.5 times per second, which is equivalent to one revolution in 0.13 seconds! The average distance from the Earth to the Moon is 384,400 km, so a single trip from the Earth to the Moon takes 1.255 seconds and a round trip takes about 2.51 seconds. In other words, the moonlight we see on Earth is in fact the moon of 1.255 seconds earlier.

What is light? Light is made up of particles called photons! Photons are strange in that they cannot stand still, they are constantly moving at the speed of light! The time it takes for a photon to leave the surface of the sun and travel to earth is 8 minutes and 20 seconds. If the sun suddenly stopped shining now, the light we would still see with our naked eyes would be the light of 8 minutes and 20 seconds earlier.

Therefore, scientists can use the light cone to explain space-time. The moment the sun stops shining will not have an immediate effect on us, we will only be affected by this event 8 minutes and 20 seconds later, when the Earth is within the future light cone of the event when the sun stopped shining.

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What we see is always a past event. Moreover, we have not yet calculated the time for a photon to move from the core of the sun to its surface. Perhaps it will take thousands of years. We could say then that if there were extra-terrestrial creatures in our solar system and they took a look at the earth with advanced technology, they would be able to see the earth in our past dinosaur age.

Light not only allows us to see, it also gives us warmth too. Modern scientific research has proven that natural sunlight increases the body’s absorption of oxygen, lowers the heart rate, speeds up the skin’s metabolism, regulates the body’s immune function and even improves muscle energy. Plants also rely on sunlight to promote their organic activity and help them grow. Sunlight is essential for the survival of all things in the world. The three primary colours of white light - red, green and blue - are mixed into various shades, making the world a colourful place. However, human eyesight is limited and some colours can only be seen by certain creatures, so people can only see parts of them and already feel the beauty of the world.

No matter in the universe can travel faster than the speed of light, and this limitation prevents man from controlling everything in the universe. Scientists recognize that those who study science must be humble enough to accept that the area of what we do not know is far greater than the area of what we do know!

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2. The Christian: Christians believe in the biblical account that God created heaven and earth and that God said, “Let there be light! And there was light.” ( Genesis 1：3﹚ Light was created by God. The Gospel of John begins with the words, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ( John 1：1﹚ All things were created by the Word, and in the Word there was life, and “this life was the light of the human race”. ( John 1：4﹚ “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” ( John 1：4﹚ “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” ( John 1：5﹚ John the Baptist “was not the light, but came to testify to the light”. ( John 1：8﹚ “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” ( John 1：9﹚ Jesus is the true light that enlightens the world. He is the life. He is the Word.

The apostle John says in his letter, “whoever loves his brother remains in the light”. ( 1 John 2：10﹚ “Whoever hates his brother is in darkness; he walks in darkness.” ( 1 John 2：11﹚ ) If we love one another, we remain in Jesus, enjoy his life, we are enlightened by him. We know how to discern the direction of where we are going.

The apostle John further states that, “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.” ( 1 John 4：7-8﹚ “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.” ( 1 John 4：16﹚

Christians believe in the true light that shines in the world - Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, the life and the love. It is through knowing Jesus Christ that we can know life, we can know truth, we can know love, and we can return to the source of all things - God.

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https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/dante/divine-comedy/ 3. The poet: Dante Alighieri, a prominent figure of the European Renaissance, is Italy’s greatest poet and is best known for his epic poem The Divine Comedy. Everything in the Divine Comedy is symbolic. At the beginning, the author described himself as lost in life, as if in a dark forest, a forest that symbolises the chaos of Italy at the time. He wanted to run out of the forest, but was blocked by three beasts: a lion, a leopard and a wolf. In his fear, he met Virgil, a Roman poet who rescued him and led him on a tour of Hell and Purgatory. And Beatrice, his secret love, was waiting for him at the gates of Heaven to guide him, a mortal, into Heaven.

Dante described what he saw and heard in heaven. “Then unto the Eternal Light they turned, On which it is not credible could be. By any creature bent an eye so clear.”

In this light, he felt that he was completely himself, that all desires had become empty, as if he had reached a state of no desire: “And I, who to the end of all desires, Was now approaching, even as I ought, The ardour of desire within me ended.”

He was willing to be absorbed in God:

“Because my sight, becoming purified, Was entering more and more into the ray, Of the High Light which of itself is true.”

Words of praise come naturally from his heart.

“O Light Supreme, that dost so far uplift thee, From the conceits of mortals, to my mind, Of what thou didst appear re-lend a little. And make my tongue of so great puissance, That but a single sparkle of thy glory, It may bequeath unto the future people.”

He likes to celebrate all this: “O grace abundant, by which I presumed, To fix my sight upon the Light Eternal.”

He sees all things in the universe as scattered fragments coming together in a book at this moment, so that he can relate: “I saw that in its depth far down is lying, Bound up with love together in one volume, What through the universe in leaves is scattered.”


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In this eternal light, he yearns:

“My mind in this wise wholly in suspense, Steadfast, immovable, attentive gazed, And evermore with gazing grew enkindled.”

In this light he sees the highest good and the highest beauty:

“In presence of that light one such becomes, That to withdraw therefrom for other prospect, It is impossible he e’er consent; Because the good, which object is of will, Is gathered all in this.”

He also sees the Triune God:

“Within the deep and luminous subsistence, Of the High Light appeared to me three circles, Of threefold colour and of one dimension, And by the second seemed the first reflected.”

This great poet, in the midst of this light, feels his own humble limitations:

“O how all speech is feeble and falls short
Of my conceit, and this to what I saw
Is such, ’tis not enough to call it little!
O Light Eterne, sole in thyself that dwellest,
Sole knowest thyself, and, known unto thyself
And knowing, lovest and smilest on thyself!
That circulation, which being thus conceived
Appeared in thee as a reflected light,
When somewhat contemplated by mine eyes,
Within itself, of its own very colour
Seemed to me painted with our effigy,
Wherefore my sight was all absorbed therein.”


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Dante is fully willing to be united with the Lord, but still feels his weakness and humility.


“But my own wings were not enough for this,
Had it not been that then my mind there smote
A flash of lightning, wherein came its wish.
He is willing to let the love of God drive him.


“Here vigour failed the lofty fantasy:
But now was turning my desire and will,
Even as a wheel that equally is moved,
The Love which moves the sun and the other stars.”